


Blood or Water?

by DarkKnightDan



Category: Fire Emblem Series, fire emblem fates
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Court, Eventual Fluff, Family Bonding, Family Issues, Kidnapping, Multi, building romance, possible multiromance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-10 02:57:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6936454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkKnightDan/pseuds/DarkKnightDan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Corrin has always known the Roths to be his family. He grew up with Camilla, Xander, Leo and Elise. They were the best siblings he could have ever asked for. However, he never felt like he really belonged, and he never knew why. One day, he gets his answer, and his world will never be the same.<br/>Alternate Universe: Modern World in which Garon and Mikoto are heads of rival businesses.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. To the Capitol

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Hello, welcome to the fic. I haven't played too much of Conquest, but I have played Birthright. So, if the Nohr royal family is out of character please let me know, and I'll do my best to rectify the differences.

"Hey, wake up." I groaned in response to the soft voice urging me awake, and then I felt someone shake me while speaking in the same soft voice.  
"Camilla I just want to sleep." I whined as I glanced over my shoulder at my eldest sister, who was sitting on the edge of my bed, a smile on her face. I noticed that Leo was standing in the doorway, looking extremely displeased to have been dragged along on Camilla's mission.  
"I understand," Camilla started "but father wants you up, and you know how he gets." I sighed in response and sat up, moving some of my hair out of my eyes as it shifted.  
"Do we really have to go to the Capitol today?" I asked Camilla tiredly, who smiled kindly in return.  
"You know father needs to keep up appearances for the people at his company." Camilla said as she rubbed my back gently, being the ever affectionate older sister.  
"Yeah." I sighed as I moved to get out of bed.  
"Hurry up, I don't want father to be fuming about you being late the entire drive to the Capitol." Leo said from the door. I shot a glare at him as I walked over to my dresser to get some clothes. I figured that I had to dress halfway decent if I was going to be seen by people from father's company, but I wasn't about to put on a suit or dress like my siblings were wearing. So, I grabbed a pair of jeans out of the dresser, and went over to my closet to grab a polo shirt. It certainly wasn't what father would have wanted, but I figured that it looked nice enough. Leo, however, seemed to have other thoughts.  
"You're going to wear that?" He asked with disgust "you're going to look like a damn street child."  
"As much as I don't agree with our brother, he's right on this one, you really should try your best to look nice, Corrin."  
"You want me to wear a suit?" I questioned Camilla and she bit her lip, knowing how much of a distaste I had for suits.  
"I have a better idea," she said finally "Leo, you can go on ahead. I'll bring Corrin when he's dressed." Leo sighed, shrugged, and then walked away. I heard his footsteps echo down the marble hallway that led from my room. After our brother was gone, Camilla walked over to the closet and pulled out charcoal grey dress pants and a light purple dress shirt. I started to groan about the choice but Camilla turned around and sat next to me.  
"I just don't want father to get angry at you. You know how easy it is for him to feel disrespected. Please, just put these on, I'll do my best to make it less stuffy." I started to detest, but decided that I would rather not argue with Camilla. After all, she was the kinder of my older two siblings, who were more or less my parents.  
So, I grabbed the clothes from Camilla and wandered into the bathroom that was joined to my bedroom. I shed the clothes that I was currently wearing before I pulled on the ones that Camilla had picked out for me. Once I was dressed I examined myself in the mirror.  
My blue dyed hair sat in stark contrast against the pale skin of my face. My chestnut brown eyes stared back at me from behind the thin blue strands that fell into my face.  
"Corrin, are you ready?" Camilla called and I walked out of the bathroom in response. My older sister smiled kindly and walked over, brushing my hair about so that it looked decent I suppose. She then undid the buttons on the sleeves of my shirt, rolling them up so that they came up to my elbow.  
Camilla then unbuttoned the top button of my shirt, lessening the pressure around my neck.  
"There," my sister declared "now you look like a proper gentleman, with a little room to breathe." I thanked my sister and together we walked out of my room and down the hall, toward the main hall where I was sure the rest of our family was waiting.  
Sure enough, I found my siblings standing in the main hall. Xander and Leo were sitting on one of the parlor couches, conversing quietly. Leo wore a grey suit with a shirt similar to mine, while Xander wore a black suit with a violet purple dress shirt. Our youngest sister, Elise , was wearing a pink sundress with black trim, a reversal of Camilla's own attire.  
"Took you long enough." Leo quipped as Camilla and I made our way downstairs, and Xander clapped him on the back of the head in response. Leo cursed and rolled his eyes, causing Elise to giggle at his words. Camilla scolded Leo for cursing. Again, Leo rolled his eyes as Camilla and I made our way over to the couch that they were sitting at. Elise was perched on the edge of the couch next to Xander.  
"Where's Dad?" I asked as I leant against the wall. Xander glanced over his shoulder to answer me.  
"Father went ahead of us. Felecia and Lilith are getting a car for us." I nodded as I listened to my family converse. Currently, I still wished that I was back in bed.  
We only sat around for about five minutes before Felecia and Lilith came in. They were essentially our caretakers, well, mine, Leo and Elise's.  
See, Xander was the oldest of us all, followed by Camilla. Then it was me, then Leo, then Elise. We were 20,19,17,16, and 14, respectively. I was in a very strange situation, being the middle child, since father still treated Elise and Leo with some kindness, while he treated Xander and Camilla with respect. Since I was in the middle, he tended to treat me as a sort of pest.  
We only sat around for about five minutes before Lilith and Felecia came back into the house, signaling that our ride was ready for us. Xander got up first, and led us out of the house with Camilla beside him. Leo went ahead of me, and I bought up the back of our little unit with Elise. Currently, my little sister was walking with a little skip in her step.  
"Do you think dad will let us go to the park in the Capitol, Corrin?" She asked with a wide smile.  
"Sure," I lied "as long as we behave, I don't see why he wouldn't." Elise seemed pleased with my answer, if she could tell I was lying she definitely didn't show it. Our dad wasn't a bad guy, not at all. He just had other things for us to do besides going to the park. Well, other things for my siblings to do. I was usually kept away from the public eye, out of the limelight. My father told me it was because of my attitude, but I didn't really care.  
In all honesty, I liked being out of the paparazzi's eye. I may be the only member of Garon Roth's children that had never been seen in a magazine. Camilla was always on some fashion magazine or another, Xander on fitness, Leo on some science periodical, and Elise almost everywhere that she could be. They were basically the world's favorite children. I, however, was not known. I could walk up to someone and tell them my name, and they would look at me like I had two heads. In fact, I had tried this before, it was a funny situation.  
Like I said, it didn't really matter to me. I was anonymous, so I could do pretty much whatever I wanted as long as it didn't tick my dad off. If the others were told not to go somewhere, I could go because no one keeps an eye on me. It was the strangest kind of confined freedom.  
However, I should have realized that I couldn't stay out of the public eye forever.


	2. Brother, Where Art   Thou?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So before this chapter starts, whenever the Hoshido royal family addresses MU/ Corrin, they will call him Lorian. This is the name I used for my Avatar, so I figured it was appropriate.

My heart thundered like a drum in my chest, and my legs burned with exertion as I sprinted down the road that led to my family's home after a morning run. A few hundred feet behind me, a black car holding a few of my mother's hired guards trailed, ensuring that I was safe at all times. It was kind of annoying, always having them behind me like I was some out of shape old man who could collapse at any moment.  
Thankfully, the last two hundred meter sprint to the front door of our house was long enough that I could get my mind off of the guards. The house music in my ears blasted wildly, blocking out all other noise besides the beating of my heart.  
Once I reached the front door, I bent over and put my hands on my knees, breathing heavily. My short red hair fell forward into the edges of my vision, but I brushed it away. With my usual lack of modesty I stripped off the black sweatshirt I had been wearing, leaving me in a pair of black shorts and a cherry red sports bra. Ignoring any protests from the guys in the car, I walked into the house.  
Two things instantly jumped out at me. The first thing was that the entire family was sitting in the living room, directly across from the front door. While that in itself wasn't terribly odd, the fact that Ryoma and Mom were still here at ten in the morning was definitely stunning. Usually they were already at work, hell, they should've been for like three hours already.  
I took my headphones off as I walked over to my family, who all have me the same look. This was the second thing I had noticed, they all looked nervous. Well, Sakura and Takumi did. Ryoma was being his usual calm and collected self, which was to be expected of the eldest of the Astor family.  
"Hey, uh, what's going on?" I asked as I sat down next to Ryoma, who was sitting on a love seat directly across from our mother. Takumi and Sakura were in chairs to either side of us, where they usually sat.  
"Rinkah and Kaze gave me a very...interesting piece of information. I figured I would wait for you before I told anyone." I glanced over at Ryoma, who gave me a look that said he already knew exactly what mother was going to talk about, but he wasn't going to say anything before she did. I searched his chestnut brown orbs for any sign of what was going on, but could really find none.  
"Hinoka." Mother addressed me directly and I turned to face her, suddenly aware of the gravity of her expression. While the initial worry had been obvious, it looked as though she hadn't slept the night previous. She seemed exhausted.  
"I want you to listen to me before I tell you anything. This is a situation that we have to handle extremely carefully, do you understand?" I felt a hint of insult at the implication of her question, but understood nonetheless. While my older brother was the calm element in our sibling group, I was definitely the more impulsive one.  
"Yeah, I understand Mom, what's the situation?" I could already tell that I sounded a bit too eager, but whatever she was talking about definitely had to be important, so I was dialed in on her.  
Mother took a deep breath, folded her hands on her lap, and slowly looked at all of us, her gaze moving from one child to the next before she met my eyes again.  
"Rinkah and Kaze said that they saw Lorian." When that name came out of my mother's mouth, my heart froze in my chest. For a moment, I thought that this must be a dream. After all these years, could there really be even the slightest sliver of hope again?  
"Is he okay?" Was my first question, which would have been quickly followed by others had Ryoma not gently put a hand on my shoulder as a gesture that I should be calm and listen to Mother. With a nod of thanks to her eldest, my mother continued.  
"Like I've thought ever since he went missing, the Roths have him. Rinkah and Kaze said that they saw another child with the kids whenever they went to the Capitol a few days ago. By the hair color, and approximate age, they think that it's Lorian. To answer your question, Hinoka, Kaze said that he seems healthy. He looked just like a healthy seventeen year old boy should."  
"Well let's go get him then!" I exclaimed as I stood up, suddenly gearing to go, jazzed with energy even after the thirteen mile run I had embarked upon this morning. Takumi shot me a look of disapproval while Ryoma stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in his crimson red dress shirt as he did.  
"While I would love to just go and get him Hinoka, you have to realize how dangerous this situation is. While Lorian is mother's child, he has been raised by Garon. If we were to just go in and grab him then he would most likely call the authorities, and we would be charged with kidnapping. We would never get a chance of having Lorian back."  
"Well then we need to call the cops!" I fired back and Ryoma put a hand on either of my shoulders.  
"Calm down." He instructed me before pausing, he then continued. "Mother has been on the phone all night with the FBI, and they're going to start looking into this. We have to hope that Garon doesn't hide Lorian away somewhere, and that we can get him back." I really, really wanted to punch the guy that was head of the business rivaling mom's, but I was more concerned with Lorian's safety at the moment.  
"Why would he even kidnap Lorian in the first place?" I asked as I turned my gaze to my mother. "Was it because of Dad?" My mother sighed, and nodded.  
"I believe it was a ploy to get your father to sell his company, but after your father's death Garon must have presumed that our company would fail anyway. He just kept Lorian as a trophy of victory I suppose." Again, really wanted to punch the guy for taking my little brother.  
"How long should it take the Feds to get ahold of him, not too long, right?"  
"Hinoka, Mother and Ryoma are doing all that they can to speed up the process, I'm sure, we just have to be patient." Takumi butted in and I glanced to my side to shoot him a glare.  
"Look, I have been patient for almost twelve years now. For ten of them I couldn't go a day without thinking about getting our brother back. Just because you barely remember him doesn't give you the right to tell me what to do." I shot at Takumi, who looked like he was about to send a snide comeback my way, but didn't. I turned back to Ryoma, who had a serious expression set upon his features.  
"You know I miss him too," my brother spoke "but we have to let the law do as it does. The thing now is that we have a chance of getting him back, that's what matters."  
"Your brother is exactly right, both of them are." My mother agreed and I sighed, bowing my head. While I was full of joy from the fact that I may see my brother again, I was defeated by the fact that it could be a long time before there were any results.  
"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked and my mother raised a brow.  
"Help?"  
"Yeah, I want to help get Lorian back, how can I do that?" My mother simply smiled as she stood. She walked over and embraced me gently.  
"Hinoka, I admire your determination. If I could do anything in my power to get Lorian back, then I would do so, but we both know that we are not above the law. What you can do is try to remind him of who his family is once we get him back, make sure that he remembers us."  
"I'll make sure of it." I replied


	3. Protection

"Do you see those people over there?" Camilla asked and I glanced over my shoulder. I didn't know which people she was referring to, due to the fact that there were a lot of people in the park at the moment. However, I presumed that it must've been the pair who were sitting on a bench just like we were. One of them was a younger woman wearing a scarlet t-shirt with a tribal tattoo winding up her arm, while the other was a guy with green dyed hair.   
"What, you like the tattoo or something?" I asked Camilla, not entirely aware of what it was that she was wanting me to notice. My younger sister rolled her eyes before she leant up next to my ear.  
"They've been watching Corrin ever since we got here, everywhere that we've gone they've been about that distance away."  
"You think they're stalking him?"  
"Essentially, yes. I've been trying to keep from going ballistic on them...but it's getting very difficult." I saw the protective spark in Camilla's eyes and knew that I had to do something about these people before she went off on them like she had on one of father's workers when he insulted Corrin.   
"Alright, how about we start walking again, if they follow us then we'll make sure to make a detour, and we'll confront them, rather, I will." Camilla seemed offended that I would leave her out of said confrontation, but I gave her a look that said I didn't want violence. With a sigh, Camilla nodded.  
"Besides, it'll be less noticeable if I peel off, they could think I'm heading back to Dad's. They obviously know who we are, so they would know that one of us is gone. If you and I both split off that'll definitely raise some alarm though."  
"Alright." Camilla acknowledged as she stood. She called for Elise and Corrin, who were sitting out in the middle of a field, talking. Elise got up at Camilla's call and skipped over, while Corrin trudged over with his hands in his pockets.   
"We're going to walk over to the fountain." Camilla informed our siblings.  
"Yeah, but I have to head back to the office, Dad and Leo need me. I'll see you both later." I said before waving and walking off toward one of the streets that ran parallel to the park.  
While I walked, I tried to figure out who exactly these guys were, they certainly didn't seem like hired guns, I'd seen my fair share of those. They seemed more like regular people, which made me think they may have just been admirers.   
While I watched Camilla walk with Corrin and Elise, I kept an eye on the two strangers. After my siblings got a decent distance away, they both got up and started to walk together, going in the same direction as Camilla and the others.  
At this point, I was definitely wary of these strangers. Until this point I thought their movements could have just been coincidence, but I was sure now that they were stalking Corrin, or Elise, or both.   
I waited for them to get a decent way down the path they were walking on before I followed. I made sure to stay within the small groups that moved on the sidewalk, effectively keeping my tall frame hidden among others.   
I watched Camilla and Corrin sit on a bench by the fountain while Elise sat on the edge, looking down into the water with childlike joy. By Camilla's posture I could tell that she was tensed, and every time she looked over to say something to Corrin I could see her eyes dart to the two strangers who were now standing with their backs to my family, as though they were observing the park splayed out before them.   
I decided that this was a decent time to confront them, since Corrin and Elise were both distracted. I broke off from the group and approached the pair directly, tapping the man with the green hair on the shoulder. When he turned to look at me he raised a brow.  
"Can I help you?" He asked with ignorance, which caused a hint of frustration to rise in me.  
"Yes, you can." I reached into my pocket, pulled out my wallet, and held two one hundred dollar bills out to the man.   
"I want you, and your friend, to leave. You're making my family uncomfortable, and if you continue to follow them we won't hesitate to press charges for stalking." The pair glanced at each other before the man extended his hand and grabbed the money with a shrug.  
"No clue what you're talking about buddy, but cool, we'll go." With that, the pair walked by me, back the way that they had came. Camilla glanced over at me and I shrugged, at least they were out of the premise for now.   
With that issue more or less solved for now, I decided that I should uphold my word to my siblings. No doubt father would have found something for me to do while I was gone.   
So, I turned on my heel and made my way back toward the car that Felecia had driven Camilla and I here in. Lilith would no doubt be comfortable with taking the rest of my siblings back to the estate together.   
"Is something wrong?" Felecia asked when I approached her, a look of annoyance probably clear on my face.   
"I need to talk to father." I said simply as I got into the car.


	4. Questions

It was strange, Dad not being around the estate for the next week. He told us that he had some business to take care of, so he wouldn’t be home at all. He had stayed away for a few days before, and even went on trips for weeks at a time, but he had never just stayed at the office for a week. The oddity of the situation actually left me kind of on edge. Thing was, I didn’t seem to be the only one on edge either. Xander and Camilla accompanied me everywhere. Though they told me that it was just that they wanted to spend more time with me, I knew that something was going on. The way that Xander would glance out windows when he thought I wasn’t looking, how Camilla got even closer than usual, it was all weird.   
Even Leo didn’t seem like himself, he hadn’t come out of his room in a few days. When I knocked on his door he had said that he was doing some kind of experiment and needed absolute concentration, but I didn’t buy that. If anything, it only made me more suspicious. Usually when Leo was doing something scientific he actually left his door wide open so that he could show off whatever it was when people walked by.   
The only person who didn’t seem on edge was Elise. As usual, she was her calm and joyful self, playing in the various rooms of the estate, never without a smile on her face. In one way I was glad that I shared her ignorance, but another part of me was annoyed by the fact that she didn’t seem to notice how everyone else was feeling. Sometimes I swear that girl lived in her own little world.   
It was when we were at the breakfast table, about nine days since we’d been in the Capitol, that I talked to Xander.   
“What’s going on?” I questioned him from my seat adjacent to his, causing my brother to look up from the paper he had been reading with an expression of confusion.  
“I’m uh….reading the paper, Corrin. Is something up?” I almost couldn’t believe what I was hearing, Xander was just trying to brush me off. However, I knew that he did this when he was trying to avoid telling me something. He had done it back when our mom had died, and this made me think that something extremely important was going on.  
“You know that something’s up!” I exclaimed, finally tired of being kept in the dark “Dad hasn’t been home in a week, Leo won’t leave his room, and Camilla has basically been holding on to me ever since we got back from the Capitol. I just want to know what’s going on, Xander.” My brother cast me a small smile in response.  
“Father is busy,” he started, but I cut him off.  
“Xander, please don’t feed me any more of this crap like I’m still a little kid. I’m going to be eighteen in like two weeks, I think I have a right to know what is going on in my own family.” Slowly, Xander set the paper he had been reading down, took a deep breath, and then turned his gaze back to me.   
“Corrin, you know how influential our father is, right?”   
“Of course, he runs one of the biggest companies on the planet, what’s that got to do with anything?” Xander again gave me a smile as he leant back in his chair.  
“Well, as his children, we are also very important. Maybe not in the same way as father is, not yet, but we’re worth quite a pretty penny. You really want to know what’s going on? Alright, I’ll tell you. When we were in the Capitol the other day there were a pair of individuals stalking you and Elise. Father has been trying to figure out who they were, and who sent them.”  
“Why would they want me? I’m not even the one that the world knows about, hell, the only time that I show up on anything is when I’m standing with you and Camilla, and usually I’m cropped out.” Xander chuckled.  
“Well, that’s very true, but a lot of people think that the reason Father doesn’t allow you to be photographed is so no one will know what you look like.”  
“Why would that be a good thing?”  
“Corrin, it’s really hard for someone to be kidnapped if no one knows what they look like. Basically, Father has just been trying to protect you. Now, we’re not sure that it was you that they were after, we both know Elise is probably Father’s favorite out of all of us, so I would put money on it being her that they were after. That’s why I’ve been sticking with Elise all week, and that’s also why Camilla has been so reluctant to even leave you when you’re sleeping. You know how protective she is, especially of you.”   
“What about Leo?”  
“What about him?”  
“What’s he doing? He’s got himself cooped up in his room, he hasn’t even come out for meals.” Xander nodded in response to that statement.  
“Leo cares very much so about Elise, he’s got surveillance running perpetually around the estate, making sure that no one enters or exits without him knowing. He’s also got more guards on the perimeter of the estate. He’s just trying to do his best to make sure that our family is safe.” Thus, my questions were answered, more or less.   
“I still don’t understand what people would want with us besides money, and I don’t think Dad would give them that much if they took me.” At my postulation, Xander’s small smile fell into a serious expression.  
“Corrin, don’t say that. As hard as Father is on you, he’s hard on all of us. He just wants you to be successful whenever you get into the workforce. Like you said, you’re almost eighteen. Just like Camilla and I, he’s going to give you some responsibilities. He wants to make sure you’re used to the pressure of doing those responsibilities. Do you remember your last birthday, how he said he could give you money or you could invest it?”  
“Yeah, I chose to invest it, and I lost it all.”   
“That doesn’t matter as much to him though; it was only two hundred dollars. What matters is that you knew what he wanted. He didn’t want you to take the money and squander it, you knew that he wanted you to try and make something of it. You learned something from that experience, didn’t you?”   
“Yeah, I learned how to invest better, I guess.”   
“Exactly.” Xander turned the paper over so that I could see the page that he had been reading, it was, of course, the stocks for the day. Xander took his finger and pointed to some of the various acronyms that stood for companies.  
“These are companies that I have invested in, and I am always making money. Thing is, I didn’t start out that way. Just like you I lost all the money that I invested at first, because Dad insisted that I do it on my own. Then I started to learn, and after a few years you can see where I am.”  
“You’re still living at your parent’s house” I quipped and Xander chuckled  
“Do you not listen to me whenever I’m talking at dinner? I’m just waiting for my own house to get finished. I’m going to be moving out in a few weeks, so is Camilla. Unlike me, she’s actually really sad to be leaving.”   
“Why is she sad?”  
“Why do you think, she won’t be able to wake you up and Elise up every day. You’re going to be the head of the household whenever Father isn’t around; you’re going to be making all the little decisions. You’re moving up in the world, Corrin. However, before Camilla and I move out, we have to make sure that the both of you are safe here. Father keeps this place pretty well guarded, but we want to know who and what to look out for whenever it comes to these wackjobs who were stalking you and Elise.” Xander picked up the glass of water he had been drinking and downed it.  
“Now, Father wanted me in at the office. Camilla and Elise are in the West Wing, you know where Leo is if you need him.” I nodded in response and Xander left the room after adjust the deep violet tie that he was wearing. Left alone in the dining room I sighed and took a drink of the steaming coffee in front of me. The bitterness along with the heat of the drink burned my throat, but I didn’t really mind it at that point. Now that I was fully aware of the situation that we were in, I was even more on edge than I had been already.   
Once I downed my coffee, I decided that I should go and see Elise and Camilla. I figured that they would be in the parlor of the West Wing, meaning I would have to go through the main hall. So, I stood and walked through the doorway that led to the main hall, toward the staircase to the second floor. However, before I reached the staircase there was a knock on the door, which echoed through the hall in a thunderous manner. With a sigh of irritation I walked to the door and opened it. I expected someone from Dad’s business, maybe one of the help who had gotten locked out of the back door, but instead I was faced with two men wearing black suits. One of them was taller that the other, with strong features and a scar that ran over his left eye. His red hair was cut neatly, he looked pretty professional. He also looked like a hitman.  
The guy next to him, however, was a strange opposite of his partner. He was shorter than the other man, with a kind face. His lips were pulled back into a small smile, and his blue-grey eyes held a small spark in them. He, like his companion, had a very unusual feature, though he could only have been about twenty years old, his hair was a silver grey.   
“Hello.” The shorter of the two men greeted, extending a hand to me, which I shook. “Agent Silas Rogers, FBI, this is my partner, Agent Saizo Hotori.” The younger man gestured to the man with the scar, who just nodded at me.   
“Could I uh, see your badges?” I asked as I stood there, unconvinced that these guys were feds. Like I said, they looked more like hired guns.   
“Sure.” The younger man replied, pulling a small wallet from his pocket and showing me his badge, his partner did the same.  
“Alright, uh, what can I help you guys with? My dad isn’t around, and my older brother just left I think. My older sister is upstairs though, if you want me to get her.”   
“Well, I think it’s actually you that we need to talk to, Corrin, right?” I nodded in response and the younger guy, Silas, smiled at me.  
“Do you mind if we come in and talk, you could go get your big sister if you’d like, but I think that you’ll be fine.”   
“Why would he need to get me?” I heard Camilla’s soft voice from behind me and turned to see that she was standing directly behind me, looking over my shoulder. Jesus, sometimes it was really scary how quietly she could move around when she wanted to.  
“Well Ms. Roth, if you don’t mind me calling you that, we need to talk with Corrin. We hope you’d be okay with that.” Agent Hotori said with a stern voice. Camilla offered them a faint smile in response.  
“Well, you’re certainly allowed in. However, I don’t believe that it’s entirely legal for you to interrogate a minor without him or her having a legal guardian with them. Luckily, I happen to more or less be Corrin’s guardian, so if you would like to come into the dining room we can have a chat.” I nodded in agreement and opened the door wider for the two agents, who stepped in and made their way to the dining room. Camilla let them go by then turned to look at me.  
“Are you alright, dear? There didn’t scare you, did they?”  
“I’m fine sis.” I replied with a small smile. Sometimes she really was a little bit too protective of me, but in this case I appreciated that she cared.  
“Good. Leo said that he’ll have some people waiting in her and in the kitchen in case we need them. I didn’t get to see their badges, did they look authentic?” I nodded in response and Camilla nodded to herself.  
“Alright, let’s go talk to the nice agents, see what they have to say.’ Camilla led the way into the dining room and took the seat where I had been sitting only minutes ago with Xander. I took the seat that Xander had been sitting in, with Camilla effectively creating a buffer between me and the two feds.  
“So, would you mind telling us what this little visit is about?” Camilla asked with somewhat of a harsh tone, though I knew that it was just her being protective.  
“Well, Ma’am.” Silas started “We just had some issues with Corrin’s birth records, with him turning eighteen and all, we just wanted to make sure things were set straight before he has to register for the draft, or for college, we want to keep him out of trouble, right?” Camilla seemed reluctant to answer the question, but simply nodded. Seemingly satisfied, Agent Rogers turned to me and smiled.  
“Alright Corrin, could you please tell us where you were born?” I glanced over at Camilla before I answered.  
“Sacramento California, Mercy General.” Silas glanced at his partner, who was holding what appeared to be a thick packet of paper. I couldn’t make out any of what was on it, but I figured it was all information about me.   
“Alright, that seems to be what we have here. Your birthday is the tenth of June, right?”   
“Yeah, June 10th, 1998.” I replied and again the agent nodded.  
“Could you tell us your birth mother’s name?” He asked. This was somewhat of a struggle for me, due to the fact that my mother had died in childbirth I hadn’t really asked many questions about her. In fact, it had been quite a few years before I had even thought of her name.  
“Natasha, I think it was.” I replied. Again, the agent nodded and made a note. This continued for a while, the agents asked me various questions, and I answered them as best as I could. Some of them were a little bit different. They asked if I had lived anywhere previous to my father’s estate, how often I saw my father’s family, things like that. They even asked how my father treated my siblings and I. When I said he was a bit harsh Camilla chuckled and told them that he just wanted us to succeed. I noticed that Agent Hotori shot her a glare when she said this, but I couldn’t understand why.  
Finally, after about half an hour, the agents both stood up, thanked my sister and I for our time, and left. When they were gone I asked Camilla what that was about. In response, she told me not to worry about it. She said they were just checking my records, like they had said.   
Something didn’t seem right though, all of these things were just happening at too coincidental at times. First these stalkers show up, now I’m being interrogated by feds. What next?


	5. Reunited

It was the middle of the night, and for some strange reason, I was still awake. I didn't know why I hadn't been able to fall asleep, I guess it was just one of those nights when I hadn't been able to. Due to my lack of sleeping, I was sitting in my bed, listening to my music while I scrolled through various websites, trying to find anything interesting to look at.  
Suddenly, the calm of the house was shattered by shattering glass and a crash that was so loud I thought that someone had let off a cannon in the house. I scrambled to my feet and to the door, throwing it open to see Camilla and Xander were already in the hallway.   
"Corrin, get Elise and Leo." Xander instructed as he and Camilla headed toward whatever the sound was. Not wanting to disobey my brother, particularly with this seemingly dangerous situation, I rushed to Leo's room. Elise and he were already inside, and the door to Leo's hidden room was wide open.  
"Come on!" He urged, and I was about to run in when the door burst open behind me.   
"Freeze!" I heard a voice yell and I stopped in my tracks, throwing my hands up in the air. Other men yelled at Leo and Elise, the latter of whom began to cry in fear. Leo did his best to calm our sister, but he wasn't able to do much when two men with HRT on the back of their ballistic vests came over and forced my siblings to their knees. Two other individuals grabbed my by the arms before the one on my left spoke into a radio on his shoulder.   
"We've got the package, exfiltrating now." The man said as he guided me toward the door.   
"What the hell is this about!?" I exclaimed as they guided my siblings behind me. Really, I was wanting to pick a fight with these guys, but the automatic weapons they were carrying were a definite deterrent.  
"It's alright." The man on my right said "We'll explain when we're clear of the estate." When I was guided into the main hall I saw that Xander and Camilla were restrained just like I was, forced to their knees and handcuffed.  
"Where are you taking him!?" Camilla cried as we went past, but the two men guiding me ignored her, causing her to begin to thrash in an attempt to free herself of her restraints.  
"Stop!" One of the men ordered "or I will be forced to use a taser."   
"Give me back my son!" Camilla yelled.  
"I'll be fine." I called back in an attempt to calm her "just take care of Leo and Elise, please." I pleaded as my remaining two siblings were sat down beside Xander and Camilla, the latter of whom had tears in her eyes now.   
The men led me out of my father's mansion and out onto the main grounds, were a multitude of cars were parked. Some of them were usual cars, others were SUVs and large vans. I was led to one of the cars and put against the side.  
"Alright, here's the deal." The man to my left started "I'm going to take your cuffs off, and you can keep them off as long as you don't try to fight me, alright?" I nodded in response and I felt the handcuffs being removed from my hands. The door of the car was then opened and, presuming what the men wanted, I slid into the passenger seat.   
After a moment one of the men who had been holding me got into the driver seat and looked over at me before taking off his mask. Underneath was Agent Rogers, who smiled a tiny smile at me.  
"You?"  
"Yeah, me. Buckle up, Corrin. We're going to take you downtown, there's someone we want you to meet." That definitely raised an eyebrow from me. The Feds had just busted down my family's door and handcuffed my siblings so they could take me to meet someone? Who the hell could be so important that they would do that?  
"Just relax, and we'll be there in just a few minutes." I nodded nervously in response, still unsure of what exactly was going on. Part of me was afraid that I had somehow done something wrong, and I was in some kind of trouble with the federal government. The only thing that stopped me from thinking that completely was that the FBI agent to my left was smiling like I was an old friend of his.   
The drive to the city went a lot slower than it usually did. The lights of the city slowly grew in the distance, but it was still like I was crawling there instead of going sixty miles per hour on the highway. However, when we got into the city I quickly got even more nervous than I already was. Again, I wondered what I was in trouble for, what I had done.   
Suddenly, Agent Rogers stopped the car and turned to me.   
"Alright, here's the deal. When we get there, we're not going through processing or anything like that, so you don't have to worry about losing your phone or anything like that. What I want you to do is remain calm. We're going to take you to a room, and you're going to meet about five people, they'll tell you everything that you want to know. I will tell you beforehand that everything that they say will be the truth. I promise you that they are not lying to you." I nodded in response, though this statement didn't quell my nerves. I still had no idea who these people were going to be.  
True to his word, when we got to the police station, Agent Rogers guided me through the processing area, straight down a hallway, and into a purely white room. He gestured for me to sit down at a chair on the other end of a table, and I did so gratefully. He offered me something to drink, asked if I needed anything, but I declined. I just wanted to figure out why I was here.   
I sat down and put my hands on the table nervously, glancing around the room for anything that I could see to take my mind off of this. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could distract me from my current situation.   
Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long before the door opened again. Instead of a FBI agent, a small group of five people filed into the room. Hilariously, they all seemed to be about the same age as my siblings. The tallest and oldest one seemed to be about twenty one, with auburn hair and brown eyes. He wore a tailored black suit with a scarlet dress shirt underneath. Behind him was a woman who was currently wearing what I could only describe as a nightgown.  
From her apparent age, I figured that she was the mother of this group. Behind her came three people who were obviously younger than her. The first was a girl who looked to be about thirteen, followed by a guy who looked fifteen.  
Then a girl walked in that looked to be about my age. She had fiery red hair, chestnut brown eyes, and a serious expression that changed the moment she laid eyes on me. The silence of the situation was broken then as she rushed forward and embraced me, bending down to hold me close. The fact that I was enveloped in an unexpected hug was extremely uncomfortable, but her embrace couldn't be called terrible. It was actually kind of nice.   
When I recovered from the initial shock of the embrace, I realized that the girl was crying heavily.   
"Hey, are you alright?" I asked and the girl leant back, looking me right in the eyes as she kept her hands on my arms.  
"I-I'm sorry." She stammered through tears "it's just so good to see you again." She smiled slightly before embracing me again. "I missed you so much, Lorian."  
"Lorian?" I asked, before looking up to notice that the oldest of the group had made his way over to us.  
"Hinoka, please give him some room, and let mother explain, there'll be plenty of time for bonding later." The red headed girl nodded before heading back toward the group. With a smile, the older man headed back toward the group as well. I noticed then that their mother had taken a seat at the opposite end of the table, with her children standing on either side of her. The girls flanked her on one side, the boys on the other.  
"I'm sure this must be very confusing for you." The woman said, pausing as though she was waiting for me to say something, but when I didn't she continued.  
"This is going to be hard to absorb, but a lot of things that you've been told in your life aren't true. Your name isn't Corrin, first off, it's Lorian. Secondly, Garon Roth is not your father, and his children are not your siblings. I am your mother and these," she gestured to the individuals standing behind her "are your brothers and sisters. Ryouma is your eldest brother, and Takumi is your younger brother. On my right are Sakura, your younger sister, and Hinoka, who is your older sister." Funny, it was the exact same setup as my family.  
"So, why exactly was I with Garon?" I asked with confusion. The woman on the other end of the table, who I supposed was my mother, sighed.  
"We believe that he had you kidnapped in order to get your father to sell his company. We don't know for sure, but we'll figure that out in court soon enough. For now, you must be very tired. If you'd be alright with it, we're going to take you home with us."  
Since I didn't see many other choices, I just nodded. With a smile, the woman rose and I did the same. I walked slowly to the other side of the table, and she drew me into an embrace. Unlike Hinoka's embrace, the woman who claimed to be my mother was very gentle. If was a very motherly embrace, and I felt a definite familiarity there, like I had been embraced in this manner before. So, I returned the shorter woman's embrace with a hint of a smile.   
In my heart, though, I still wanted to know if Xander and the others were okay.


	6. Hinoka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, sorry that this is an extremely short chapter. My semester exams are this week and I'm studying like crazy. Fortunately, I'll have more time during the next couple of days too write. Additionally, the next chapter will be shifting back to the Roths, or the Nohr family, if you'd like to refer to them that way.

It was a few days before I heard anything from Agent Rogers. When he did call, he was asking about how life was going with my family. I told him my honest feelings. It was really, really hard to adjust to not seeing my siblings every day. I asked him if I could see the Roths, and he told me that he would see what he could do.   
Agent Rogers had called in the early morning, when I was out walking around my family's estate. The Astor estate was actually bigger than the Roths, well, maybe it was just more natural. The house itself was smaller, but fields rolled on either side of the house, creating an image of something like an old farm, which Mikoto told me the estate had been at one point in my father's history.   
So, strange thing about the Astor children, they were more or less just like the Roths. Ryoma, my oldest brother, reminded me almost too much of Xander. He was calm, collected, and generally knew how to handle situations. He helped run my mother's company, and was actually going to take over in the next few months. Sakura was definitely not as affectionate as Elise had been, but she had the same joyful personality as my little sister. Takumi seemed to hold the same air of disdain for me that Leo had, but he still pretended to respect me around our siblings.  
Then there was Hinoka. The only way that I could begin to describe her was as an overall less affectionate Camilla. For one, Hinoka didn't treat me like I was her son, nor was she as touchy-feely as Camilla was.  
Mikoto, my mother, was the exact opposite of her Roth counterpart. While Garon had been somewhat cold to all of his children, and had hardly ever been around to talk, it seemed like Mikoto was always in the living room, talking to one of her children. Whenever I would come into the house or come down from my room on the third floor, my mother would call for me from the living room, and she would talk to me for awhile before I went about whatever it was I had been about to do.   
I had spent plenty of time talking to my siblings, though I tended to take walks during the day when I needed my distance, they all tended to leave me alone whenever they noticed I was out strolling around the fields.   
"Hey, Lorian." I heard from behind me and I sighed. Like I said, most of my siblings had learned not to talk to me when I was on my own on the fields, but one of my sisters had taken it upon herself to speak with me whenever possible. So, when I turned to return the greeting I was met by Hinoka, who had already made her way pretty much even with me. My older sister was currently wearing a pair of short shorts and a scarlet athletic shirt, indicating to me that she had just been out running.  
Fitness seemed to be an important thing for the Astor family. Maybe not fitness, but physical activity for sure. Hinoka ran everyday for an obscene amount of time, Sakura doesn't do anything like that, but she's always playing this thing that she called a Koto, some kind of crazy instrument that looked like the neck of a thirteen stringed guitar. Takumi had a knack for archery, which worried me greatly, what with his general disdain for me. In keeping with the somewhat violent training, Ryoma had a weight room in the basement of the house. When he wasn't in there he and Takumi were sparring in a small fighting ring adjacent to said weight room. They had invited me into the ring last night, but I had insisted on just watching. I definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of Ryoma's punches.  
Anyway, back to Hinoka and I.  
"How're you feeling?" She asked, as she had every morning since I had been at the Astor estate.  
"I'm alright, you?" I replied as I shoved my hands into the pockets of my black shorts.  
"Tired, but y'know, fifteen miles will do that to you." This caused me to crack a smile.   
"Actually, I wouldn't know anything about that." I said, which caused Hinoka to roll her eyes.  
"Well, why don't you come with me tomorrow morning for a run? We don't have to go fifteen miles or anything crazy like that, we could just take it easy, have some fun." Being the idiot I was, I agreed.  
So, that is how I ended up getting up at five in the morning in order to run with Hinoka. I decided against wearing a shirt, strictly for comfort, and slid on a pair of dull grey shorts. When I came downstairs, Hinoka was standing in front of the door, tying her running shoes. She'd taken me into town the day previous to get me a pair, since she'd realized I had none.  
"Morning." Hinoka greeted in a strangely chipper manner. When I made my way over to the door with a grunt of acknowledgment my sister stood and opened the door, allowing me to go through before she shut the door behind herself.   
"I got the guards to leave us alone this morning, so we can take it at whatever pace we want to." Hinoka informed me and I nodded. Really, I had no idea about what kind of running to do. I had run a few miles here and there, sure, but I was much more of a sprinter type of guy. I was definitely not the guy made to run like ten miles or more.  
Unfortunately, that's pretty much what I ended up doing. When Hinoka and I made it back to the house about an hour and a half after we left my sister checked her watch and chuckled.  
"You're a natural." She declared, but I couldn't hear her. I was sprawled on the ground with my hands over my head. My lungs and legs burned like someone was pressing matches to both of them, and I was still trying to get my breath back completely.  
"Well, close anyway." Hinoka commented as she walked over and extended her hand to me. After s few moments of attempting to regain my breath I took my sister's hand, and she pulled me to my feet.  
"You look like death, Lorian, but that was fun. We can too it again tomorrow, if you'd like." Again being the passive idiot that I was, I agreed to run with my sister again before I stumbled inside.   
Where was Camilla to keep me from hurting myself when I needed her?


	7. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I am extremely sorry about the lack of uploads. I have been extremely busy with training and basketball, and things like that. Anyway, I found time to write today so here is the next chapter.

Fortunately, it seemed that I wouldn't be out of the watchful eye of my older sister for that much longer. When I was sitting on the balcony adjoined to my room later in the day I got a call from Agent Rogers. When I answered, he first asked me how I was doing. Typical. I told him that I was currently exhausted from the run with Hinoka, at which he chuckled. He agreed that it must be hard to keep up with a mountain running champion. However, after that comment Agent Rogers informed me that he had some good news. He said that, if I wanted to, I could meet up with my siblings later that day. Of course, after having not seen them for about a week, I was thrilled at this opportunity, and jumped on it.  
Agent Rogers told me that he would send someone to come and get me in about two hours, and that they would take me to the place where my siblings would be. He wouldn't tell me where that was, though. He also told me that he had gotten this meeting cleared with my mother, so I didn't have to worry about asking her about it or anything. That wasn't what had worried me. I was much more worried about getting out of the house without Ryoma or Hinoka noticing. While Hinoka was definitely less affectionate than Camilla, she was just as protective. In addition, Ryoma was basically just a shorter and slightly more muscular Xander.   
However, I figured that I wouldn't mind explaining to them if it meant that I could see my siblings again. I didn't know who it was that I wanted to see most, but I reasoned that it was Camilla and Elise that I missed most of all. I also presumed that Camilla was going absolutely mad from the fact that I wasn't with her.   
So, for the next couple of hours I got ready to leave. I showered again, changed my clothes, all of the usual things that I would do before going anywhere.  
When I was done, I headed down toward the front door, where I reasoned the FBI's person would be waiting for me. As I made my way downstairs, I noted that Hinoka's bedroom door was wide open, and she wasn't inside. What this meant is that she was probably out running again, which was good news for me. Ryoma, on the other hand, seemed to be at work still. Takumi's door was shut, and I could hear Sakura's koto from the stairs.   
Essentially, I was home free.  
So, I continued my descent until I reached the front door. When I pulled it open I expected to see an FBI car of some sort waiting there, but instead I was met with Hinoka sitting on the doorstep, elbows resting on her knees as she sat. I silently cursed as she turned and smiled at me.  
"Oh, hey Lorian." She said happily as she wiped some sweat from her brow.   
"Hey." I replied as I sat down next to her. Hinoka looked over, as though she were examining the jeans and violet t-shirt I was wearing. Not that I could blame her, ever since I had come home I had constantly been wearing shorts, and often wore a scarlet t-shirt.   
"Going somewhere?" She asked with a raised brow and, again being passive, I decided that it would be better to tell my older sister rather than withhold the information from her.  
"I'm going to meet with the Roths, just the siblings, not Garon." I informed her, and instantly Hinoka's cheerful expression fell. The smile that had graced her thin features only moments before was now replaced with a scowl. I had expected her to be a little upset, but Hinoka seemed downright furious.  
"No, you're not." She asserted and I stood up.  
"Look, Hinoka, I just want to make sure they're doing alright. I know that they're not really my siblings, but Camilla and Xander basically raised me."  
"Yeah, they raised you because their dad took you from us. If you had stayed here mother would have raised you, and we could've been happy." Whether she meant my family or just us two when she said "we" I didn't know, but it didn't really matter.  
"You don't understand Hinoka. I get it, their dad did something wrong, but his kids didn't do anything. Please, don't be angry with me." Hinoka continued to frown, but it softened somewhat.   
"Y'know what? Fine, go." Hinoka stood and quickly opened the door, slamming it shut after she went through, causing a resonating bang that I heard echo throughout the house.  
With a sigh, I stood up again and ran my fingers through my hair. Out of all of the Astor children, Hinoka was the last one that I wanted to be angry with me. Not just for the reason that she was obviously strong, but she was also my favorite of the Astors. While Takumi and Ryoma had offered to spar with me last night, I could tell that Ryoma was still wary of me, and Takumi still held disdain for me.   
Fortunately, I didn't have to dwell on these thoughts long. A black car soon rolled up the driveway and stopped in front of me. I got up, and walked to the car. When I opened the passenger door I was greeted by the smiling face of Agent Rogers.   
"Hey there." He greeted as I slid into the car.  
"Hey, how is it that you're always the one I end up with?" I asked the older man and he chuckled.  
"Well, I request it. I figure you'd be more comfortable around me than most of the other guys in the office. Anyway, you ready to go see your family?" I was shocked by the fact that he called the Roths my family, but the look in his eye told me that he understood. He knew that, while the Astors were my family by blood, that it would take a long time for them to become like the Roths.  
"I've been ready." I replied as I pulled my seatbelt on. After I did, Agent Rogers pulled away from the Astor estate and started to drive back toward the city.   
"So, where are we meeting?" I asked and Agent Rogers smiled.   
"Well, Xander wanted to meet you somewhere private. He doesn't want the paparazzi all over you guys during your little reunion. So, he's arranged to rent out a room in a restaurant downtown. You'll go in the front, since you're still pretty well out of the public's eye." I nodded in response, and turned to watch as the cityscape began to race by us as Agent Rogers drove.  
When we arrived at the restaurant I stepped out of the car. I recognized the place as where we had gone for Camilla's birthday the year previous. It wasn't too fancy of a place, but it wasn't so low brow that the Roths would be embarrassed to be seen there. When I stepped inside I saw that there was almost no one inside. A man wearing a suit approached me and gestured for me to follow him. I nodded in response and followed as he led me to a separate dining room, the same one we had rented out for Camilla's birthday.  
The man in the suit opened the door to the room for me and stepped back to allow me to enter. When I stepped through I was instantly ensnared in a tight embrace. As I had expected, Camilla was very happy to see me. She held me tight as she whispered happy things into my ear. I could feel tiny tears of joy on my shoulder as she held me. I heard a small giggle from Elise, and a chuckle from Xander. Over Camilla's shoulder, I saw Leo roll his eyes at the display.  
It looked like nothing has really changed and, in all honesty, I couldn't have been happier about that fact. These people, they were my family. It may have been through strange circumstances that we were brought together, but I couldn't ask for a better family.   
Eventually, Camilla released me from her embrace, but then squeezed me once more before letting me go and guiding me toward my chair. Once I was seated next to Elise, she took her seat on the opposite side of the booth with Xander. Leo was wedged between the four of us.  
It was Xander who broke the silence that lingered after we all sat together.  
"How's life with the Astors?" He questioned with a hint of a smile.   
"Well, they're different from you guys." I offered, causing Xander to raise a brow.  
"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"  
"For the most part a bad thing. Ryoma and Takumi are kind of stuck up, and Sakura really never talks to me. The only one who really says anything to me is Hinoka, and even then she's a bit off."  
"So you missed us?" Camilla questioned hopefully, causing me to break into a smile.  
"Of course I missed you guys, you're my family. Even if Ryoma and the others have the same blood as me, you're the ones who I love. If it were up to me, I would just stick with you guys." Xander nodded.  
"Well, Lorian, you are going to be eighteen soon. You can go wherever you like then." That was a good point. I hadn't thought about my upcoming birthday in that light, but I could surely just live with Xander and my other siblings once I reached the age where I could decide.  
"I'll have to see about doing that." I commented as a waiter brought out drinks on a tray. It seemed that Camilla had gotten water for everyone, always trying to be the one encouraging our health. However, she did allow us to order our own food. I was thankful for that. Camilla was a huge fan of steak, and I didn't particularly enjoy beef at all.   
Once we had placed our orders my family and I made small talk. Elise asked me what my new family was like, what they did, things like that. Xander asked if they were treating me well, which I said they were, kind of. Eventually, our discussion turned to a more somber topic.  
"Have you heard anything about father?" Elise questioned me, causing everyone to instantly go silent. "Xander and Camilla won't tell me anything, but I'm sure you know something, don't you, big brother?"  
I shook my head in response, causing Elise to sigh. Xander mimicked her expression and leant forward.  
"Have they told you anything?" He asked me, to which I shook my head. No one had told me anything about Garon since I'd been taken home by the Astors. I hadn't thought about it really, but I guess my siblings must have been worried.  
"Alright, here's the deal then. Camilla and I already know that they're taking our father to court. The only issue is that we don't know when the court date is, nor do we know how long the trial could last. For all we know, he could be waiting for a trial for awhile." I nodded solemnly. I hadn't wanted this to happen to Garon, even after I learned that he had kidnapped me I hadn't wanted his children to lose their father.   
"I'm sorry guys, this is all my fault." I said as I directed my gaze downward, observing the table that I had been absentmindedly scratching.   
"No, it's not." Leo asserted, causing my eyes to dart to him in alarm. Had Leo, my brother, just told me that something wasn't my fault? Leo seemed to realize how strange that sentence was, because he sighed in annoyance a moment later.  
"Look, our father made his choice however many years ago it was when he took you. For once, you didn't have anything to do with it. I know that none of us blame you for what happened." The others nodded in agreement and I sighed.  
"I still want to fix this somehow. Maybe if I say some good things about Garon at his trial then they'll go easy on him. I mean, he treated me like one of you guys. He really didn't do anything wrong."  
Again, there were nods of agreement from my family members. Our discussion was halted by the arrival of our food, which we took our time eating. During our meal I noted that Xander and Camilla were whispering to each other, and I spoke briefly to Elise. When we finished, Xander and Camilla stood.  
"We have to get some work done." Xander informed me.  
"Once you turn eighteen, if you would like to come stay with us, just give one of us a call. You have our numbers." Xander walked over, and extended a hand to me, which I shook. It was possibly the most affection Xander had ever offered me openly. In contrast, Camilla pulled me into a tight embrace again before walking hurriedly out the door. I said my goodbyes to Elise and Leo as well before they left, and then I made my way outside, where Agent Rogers was waiting.  
Now I had to go home and face my family.


End file.
